Rachael Ray Joins Katherine Heigl's Crusade to Save Pets

The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi

Pop quiz: What do a popular cook and an A-list actress have in common?

For dog lovers Rachael Ray and Katherine Heigl, the answer is easy: a love for pets and a desire to help reduce animal suffering and overpopulation in shelters. To that end, the pair are joining forces.

On Friday’s episode of the “Rachael Ray Show,” the celebrity cook donated $150,000 to Heigl’s animal charity, the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, which will be used to help raise awareness about spaying and neutering.

The money came from Ray’s Nutrish pet foods line, which she founded in 2008 as a way to continuously raise money for animals in need.

Ray was very excited about the donation, saying, “I’m thrilled to have a passionate friend like Katherine to help animals in need. I am very excited that together we can donate our celebrity to give these animals a voice, a home and a healthy life.”

This isn’t Heigl’s first effort to raise awareness about the issue of pet overpopulation. In November, the actress debuted her Funny or Die “I Hate Balls” video, which aimed to reduce the number of animals in shelters by eliminating “terrible, terrible testicles.”

Heigl tweeted her support for Ray’s help, writing, “Their $150K will help us save so many pet lives.” She also released a statement saying, “We are very grateful for Rachael Ray’s donation in support of this important cause and excited for our partnership with Rachael Ray that is sure to give greater exposure to this crisis. The Foundation’s effective programs and our shared compassion will provide a dynamic combination to help save countless lives and lend a voice to voiceless and forgotten pets in dire need of our help.”

Their joint effort to help save animals is definitely “one for the money.”